AMERICA'S ARMY

Evening Star, Issue 16777, 4 July 1918, Page 6

AMERICA'S ARMY

STRIKING FORCE FORMED. HER AEROPLANES. A NEW SMALL TANK. RUSSIA. [By Criticus.] General March (Chief of the American General Staff) announces that five American divisions, which have finished their training with the British, have been placed under General Pershing's direct command in the firing line. This means that America has now in the firing line a self-contained army of some size, and that it is goiug to bo the nucleus for further growth. This nucleus will amount to something like 100,000 men. It will probably be a highly oifuaent force in every respect, because its principal officers will all be professional soldiers, and every battalion will have a nucleus of regulars. Moreover, as America lias now been at war well over a year, all the voiu..U.-er and conscript soldiers should be well trained. So America is now beginning to take a really effective part, and her fighting strength should increase hand over hand. This self-contained army, wo aro told, has been formed of divisions which had been brigaded with the Br.tish ao a temporary measure, but which have now been withdrawn. But their withdrawal does not necessarily mean that there is an end of the brigading of American with British troops. The place of these divisions will probably bo taken by others, which will do drawn out again in their turn when their trailing is complete, to join the new army. Thus General Pershing's force >hoeld grow rapidly with the constant accession of new divisions which have been shot over, and have had practical experience of hard fighting. We have been told that American troops are fighting on eight sectors, and it is not likely that the number of these sectors has been diminished as the result of the formation of the new striking force. They will probably remain as training grounds into which troops will be fed in order to gain prnorical experience of trench work and fighting as fast as they are turned out of the training camps behind the lines. This course is "doubly useful. Jt rapidly increas-os the number of experienced American troops, and it gives very valuable assistance to the French in hoklirg quiet sectors, thus relieving men for service elsewhere. In this way the American forces, even while comparatively raw, can give invaluable assistance *to the Allies. What with troops holding quiet sectors, troops bri--ihfl with the British, and troops forming the new striking force, the sum total of American aid on the west front must now bo very substantial AEROPLANE PROGRESS. In view of the confused and contradic- ' lory statements continually being made as to the progress of America in aeroplan-> production and the success or failure of the liberty motor, a few plain facts will be instructive. The truth, as usual, lies midway between the very optimistic and tho very pessimistic reports. According to a report presented to the House of i Representatives from the Military Affairs I Committee, quoted in the 'Scientific American,' motors were being built at the rate of 100 per week at tho beginning of May. The Unled .States Go- J vornment had ordered 14.000 foreign planes, ' of which I,BCO had been delivered, and • B.COO foreign engines had been contracted ■ for, of which 1,500 had been delivered. ' It will be seen that, although still de- j rending mainly on foreign planes and. en- i pines, America is planning her aeroplane I service on a huge scale. She hid. at the j beginning of May, 1,300 aviators flyins' I with the American forces en ' the ' western front, and 5.000 men rearh- ; '--> enter the serviee. The United ! State is filling large orders for < otW cncr ; n,fc besides tV Tlertv motor, j notably tho Bugatti and Hispano-Sniz-i ; j but thi« does not mean that the Libert-- 1 motor is a failure. The best renlv to i that assertion is the statement that France ' has placed orders for 10.000 Liberty motors in the United States, and the French ex : ports are not likely to have done that i without subiert'nj; the type to thorough | tests. The truth of the matter is that | America is still in the stupe of prepara- ,' tion. 'llie development, of the hiKje outfit. ! of tools and nutomatic machines required i for her grand programme of aeroplanes j takes time, and meanwhile she is oblhred i to resort to foreign help in vnviovi direc I tions. But by the end of the vear the I orsanktition of production should have | been completed and a ]nitre output reached She wn'll th?n bo able to supply all her own needs and help her Allies. The programme of 20,000 aeroplanes will become a practical possibility, and a new era >"r> aerial warfare will open. The Allies will have an advantage in the air which may prove decisive if used with strategical skill.

NEW SMALL TANKS. \ few days ago the importance was dwelt upon of making a clear-cut choice twesn speed and armor as the main t-utkal feature of our tanka. Apparently the French have- done this. A report from the French Headquarters speaks of Clis importance of the part played in the %htbetween tho Aisne and tlie forest of V llers-Gottercts by new small tanks, in ncli nre only about a, quarter of the <n/ a of tho ordinary battle tank, but which are much faster and can climb a slope which the latter could not attempt. Thev can be. swung round completely in a few seconds, and their speed, small size, and manoeuvring capacity render them a more difficult target for tho enemy's artillery. It is in the last sentence that tho whole tactical significance of the announcement lies. They doubtless carry armor heavy etctigh to turn machine-gun bullets, but they carry a cre.v of only two men, and trust to speed in ord<--r to beat the enemy's ems. Probably they will be fast enough to overtake or escape from the enemy's infantry, and they represent a type of great possibilities ' But it should bo re membered that, as with all weapons, their vahio will depend eriirely on the tactical skill with which they aro used. They will not allow us to walk over the enemy. Th-j anti-tank cutis will prevent that. But ttiev mav secure great successes if used in skilful co-operation with the other arm*, partinularlv with the field guns, to which they must look for assistance in compelling the" anti-tank guns to keep under cover.

SMOKE AND FIRE. There seems good reason to suppose that there ia some fire behind aI)T the smoke at present issuing from Russia, particularly as the Germans, who are in the best position to obtain accurate information, are obviously uneasy. Tho present position soems to be that the Czocho-Slovak troops, divided into two main groups, have completely cut off Russia from Siberia. The northern group is reported to be operating in the neighborhood of the Urals, near to Chiliabynsk, and this force is astride the Trans-Siberian llailway. The second group is -operating to the south-west along tho Volga, in the province of Samara. This latter body is reported to have captured all the Volga bridges in tho Samara region. If the report is true, and the Czecho-Slovaka continue to advance, they, should come into contact in time with the Austro-Germaris, who are stated to have occupied Voronesh, 300 miles to the southwest of Samara. What will happen then cannot be predicted. The Czecho-Slovaks have no love for the Germans or the Austrians; but it is impossible even to guess at their strength. They are recruited from the huge number of Austro-Hungarian prisoners captured by th« Russians, and should provide an admirable nucleus of trained troops for the counter-revolution-aries. From Kieff the counter-revolution is'reportod to be spreading rapidly, and Moscow states that the Grand Duke Michael has issued a manifesto in which he calls iipon the people to overthrow the Bolsheviks and assist in the restoration of order. It was the Grand Duke Michael whom the ex-Tsar nominated as his successor when ho abdicated the throne. None of the reports can be said to bo reliable, but

the general trend of events is unmistakable, 'i'lie Bolsheviks have had their day, and their overthrow is now merely a matter of time. Then will come the opportunity of the Allies. Even a partial restoration of Russia would divert largo bodies of German troops to the eastern front.